MOE TO BREAK ELECTION PROMISE OF BALANCING BUDGET BY 2027-28

Finance Minister Ducks Questions On Just How High The Deficit Will Go
REGINA – Scott Moe is steering the province’s finances off a cliff and appears to be on a collision course with breaking a major election campaign promise of balancing Saskatchewan’s budget.

In recent days, economists have suggested the budget, due out in mid-March, could see a deficit of $1 billion. Moe has already doubled the province’s debt to a staggering $40 billion and Saskatchewan people are paying $1 billion each year to bankers on Bay Street and Wall Street just to cover the interest.

“It’s Saskatchewan people already struggling to make ends meet that will ultimately pay the price for this Premier’s financial trainwreck,” said Carla Beck, Saskatchewan NDP Leader. “They will pay the price today and their kids will pay for it in the generations to come.

“A higher cost of living for families, healthcare that ranks dead-last in the nation, a severe crime wave and overcrowded classrooms — Scott Moe spends like a drunken sailor and hardworking Saskatchewan people see no benefit.”

Moe campaigned in 2024 on balancing the budget, laying out a supposed path to balance on the last page of his platform. Titled “The Saskatchewan Party Plan For Responsible Financial Management,” the budget projected a deficit of $46.5 million in the 2026-27 budget and a $16.4 million surplus in 2027-28.

“Responsible financial management? What a joke,” said Trent Wotherspoon, Saskatchewan NDP Finance Shadow Minister. “We have said it from Day 1 that last year’s budget wasn’t worth the paper it was printed on. The minister claimed to have a $12-million surplus, but he blew that in a matter of hours.

“Now, we’re careening towards a one-billion-dollar deficit and there’s no end in sight to this financial mess, dishonesty and incompetence.”

On Monday, during the first Question Period of the Spring Sitting, Moe’s Finance Minister Jim Reiter refused to answer questions on how high the deficit would be in the coming budget.

“This is a government that is allergic to transparency, and that was dishonest with the people of Saskatchewan while trying to get their votes,” Beck said. “Saskatchewan deserves a government that shoots straight and tells the truth, instead of hiding the state of the province's finances.

“We need a plan to get back on track, pay down the debt and deficit, and plan for a bright future in Saskatchewan. It’s time for change.”

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NDP Caucus Office